Earlier this month, I launched the “Haiti Blog Challenge,” which was based on the challenge put forth by Kelly Diels, of Cleavage. I offered to revise or to create resumes for people at no charge. My only request was that they donate to Haiti disaster relief.

Now, to my surprise, only one person took me up on my offer. And trust me, I give good resume. Anyway, I finished the vitae – lickity split – and the client donated to Haiti relief. Voila! I was a global citizen. I had answered the call. I had contributed my unique gifts to a very worthy cause. I was done.

Whew! Now, I could tune out the 24-hour news coverage of Haitians trapped in rubble – bleeding and crying. I could tune out the news of another family searching for a missing loved one. As the days wore on, celebrities stepped in to do their parts – Brangelina donated $1million. Leo DiCaprio pitched in his million. Beyonce and Coldplay, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake–all performed at a charity event that raised over $50 million. As I watched the performances on Youtube, I imagined that each of those folks was probably breathing a collective sigh of relief. They had done enough.

What would happen if the government pledged $100 million, private citizens gave their talents for donations, and celebrities raised $50 million in one day for the needs of ordinary Americans who were hurting?

But then something happened. I have no idea why, but one night, while I was tuning out the coverage of the Haiti disaster relief efforts, my husband said something very interesting.

“You know,” he said, “It’s really nice that people want to give to Haiti, but what about all the people in this country that need help?”

I felt my head nodding on its own. He continued.

“Where the hell do they get all this money from? $150 million? I thought there was no money for healthcare? No money for social programs?”

It was true. My global citizen badge hit the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces. I hadn’t wanted to say it out loud, but I had been thinking the same thing. Hadn’t we known all these years how impoverished the Haitian people were? That 50% of the population was under the age of 21? Hadn’t we just been sitting, waiting for some tremendous disaster to happen? My mind immediately hearkened to Katrina. Why did we have to wait until a crisis to help? Why didn’t we see the crises in our own back yards? What would happen if the government pledged $100 million, private citizens gave their talents for donations, and celebrities raised $50 million in one day for the needs of ordinary Americans who were hurting?

Now, I know that this is not politically correct, and I’ve already gotten a lot of flack from my super lefties, but this is my view. At any point and time, there are enough riches and resources in the world to alleviate poverty, hunger, and sickness. We should not wait until a crisis to help. We should not wait and then donate a few bucks for a photo op, or increased business, or publicity–or whatever our motivations are. Surely there is someone, right now, who could use the very help that we RESERVE for people who are devastated by natural disasters. At least, that’s my view.

So, the Help Haiti Blog Challenge is officially over. I’ll be looking for folks in my own backyard who can use my resume services.

How do you feel about that the priority that we’ve assigned to Haiti versus the priority that we’ve given the crises that we are facing in the  United States?